Does Wearing a Durag Cause Hair Loss? | No! Here’s Why

In today’s society, a durag is not just a fashion symbol but a trendy hair accessory worn chiefly by men to cover and protect their hair. Durags are so popular, especially in the African American communities, making them part of their daily lives.

However, you may be wondering whether durags cause hair loss. You may have other questions involving the benefits of wearing a durag, and how tight you should tie a durag, among other questions. And we’ll answer them all below.

Do Durags Cause Hair Loss?

No, a properly-worn durag will not cause hair loss. These hair accessories are made of silk materials and do not snag on your head, translating to any breakage, thinning, or complete hair loss. 

Durag lovers prefer them because they preserve your hairstyle whether you have waves, braids, locks, or combed natural hair.

Since it is a hair accessory that can be styled as one sees fit, you should tie them firmly, ensuring it does not slide off. However, tightening your durag excessively may damage your scalp, including causing hair loss.

How Does a Durag Cause Hair Loss?

Durags are increasingly gaining popularity, resulting in hundreds if not thousands of people wearing them. However, they can eventually lead to residual hair loss if worn incorrectly. Below are some of the improper ways a durag use could result in hair loss.

1. Wearing Your Durag Tightly

Wearing your headgear too tightly for long durations may suffocate your hair follicle and clog the hair pores, causing hair loss. As a latter aspect, tightly tying your durag may cause habitual traction on your scalp, thinning your hair and damaging the hair follicles.

This may result in residual balding or even developing traction alopecia constituting of the following symptoms:

• Receding hairlines
• Itchiness and redness on the scalp
• Wide parting of the hair
• Patches of thin and broken hair due to follicle strain

2. Hair Neglection

Neglecting your hair for extended periods, such as not moisturizing, oiling, or washing, may result in hair damage. As a result, wearing a durag on damaged hair may indirectly cause gradual hair loss.  

As such, you must consider the following steps when wearing your Durag:

1. Place the durag on your scalp when it’s inside out, ensuring the seam is sticking out.
2. Position it carefully while shifting the fabric to cover your hair. Take care not to cover the eyebrows.
3. Take both strings each in its hand, form an X at the back of your head, and tie them together, not too tight or too loose it may slip off when you sleep or walk.
4. Take a string in each hand, cross them on your forehead, and return them to the back of your head. Ensure they lie flat across each other.
5. Lastly, tie the strings at the back into a tight but comfortable knot. Assess the alignment and ensure your durag is secure.

Benefits of Wearing a Durag

Durag lovers prefer them for the following reasons:

• Maintain waves. Hair waves can be challenging to maintain. As such, there is a need to constantly groom and moisturize. However, wearing a durag maintains the curls and waves longer.
• Offer sun protection. UV rays can interfere with your hair color and follicles. Thus, it is better to wear a durag to protect your hair from absorbing excess sun heat. 
• Prevents tangling. Individuals with 4C hair often develop hair tangles, especially at night. Thus, wearing a durag while sleeping can prevent hair knots from forming.
• Great when treating hair. It is essential to treat and moisturize your hair at night. However, to allow the hair to absorb all the oils better and prevent staining your pillows, consider wearing a durag.  
• Promotes hair growth. Wearing a durag helps your hair to trap moisture and keeps it hydrated and oil-induced, translating to a healthier scalp and great hair follicles; this eventually promotes hair growth.

Read Next: Learn About the 6 Main Types of Curly Hair

How Tight Is Too Tight for a Durag?

Although you are advised to avoid wearing your durag too tight, some people do not know what that means. The following are a few signs that will indicate you have tied your durag on your scalp too tight:

• Trouble taking it off. Always ensure that whatever you wear is easy to take off. Thus, if you are having trouble untying your durag, you probably tied it excessively tight. Unravel the knot and ease your work when taking it off.
• Pain. You likely know that any sign of pain means something is wrong. If you start feeling pain while wearing your durag, it is a sign that it is too tight for your liking. The pain may likely be uncomfortable and cause discomfort; thus, consider untightening it.
• Numbness. Does anyone feel good knowing that a piece of clothing cuts your blood supply, causing partial numbness? I bet not. Suppose you feel your scalp is getting numb after tying your durag. Consider loosening it to avoid impaired blood circulation.

Pro Tip: Always ensure that your durag is secured to avoid sliding off. Although, the most important thing to consider when wearing a durag is being comfortable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are frequently asked questions asked about wearing durags.

So, Does Wearing a Durag Cause Hair Loss?

Despite what you may have heard, durags rarely cause hair loss, balding, or thinning. Hair loss results from poor practices such as neglecting your hair through failure to wash, moisturize, or oil your hair and scalp and tying your durag too tightly.

Always tie your durag loosely but securely on your scalp to avoid pain and discomfort. If you need to wear your durag often, know how to wear it correctly. And we hope our guide has helped you learn how to do just that.